Make Ahead

Almost Flourless Chocolate Cake with Meyer Lemon Whipped Cream

January 21, 2014
4.6
21 Ratings
Photo by Eric Moran
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 40 minutes
  • Makes one 9-inch cake
Author Notes

This cake is only very lightly adapted from Molly Wizenberg's Winning-Hearts-and-Minds Cake -- and it gets better as it ages (or is stashed in the freezer for a bit). Serve it with powdered sugar, whipped cream, this lemon whipped cream, or nothing at all. —Kenzi Wilbur

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Cake
  • 7 ounces best-quality dark chocolate
  • 7 ounces unsalted European-style butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • Meyer Lemon Whipped Cream
  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 1 Meyer lemon, peels only
Directions
  1. Cake
  2. Heat the oven to 375º F, and butter a 9-inch cake pan. Line the base of the pan with parchment, and butter that, too.
  3. Chop the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler (I use a metal bowl over a simmering pan of water), stirring continuously. Once it begins to melt, add the butter, and keep stirring until both are fully melted. Add the sugar, stir to combine, and set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Add the eggs one at time, mixing very well after each. Mix in the flour. At this point your batter should be super smooth.
  5. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 25 minutes -- or, as Molly says, until the center of the cake looks set and the top is shiny and a bit crackly-looking.
  6. Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes; then carefully turn the cake out of the pan and revert it, so that the crackly side is facing upward. (The cake will deflate slightly as it cools.) Allow to cool completely before you serve.
  7. Serve in wedges at room temperature with whipped cream -- or nothing at all.
  1. Meyer Lemon Whipped Cream
  2. Combine the lemon peels and the cream in a heavy saucepan, and bring to just under a boil.
  3. Before it comes to a boil, take the cream off the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.
  4. Cool completely, strain, chill, and then whip to soft peaks. Alternatively, if you don't have much time, you can grate lemon peel into cold cream before you whip it.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

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    Julieta Flores Jurado
  • KK
    KK

186 Reviews

laurastrand March 28, 2024
I'm not a baker and wasn't sure about adding the eggs. Do you just break one in, mix, break another in, mix? Or pre-mix all of the eggs and approximate putting in one at a time? I added them one by one whole (bc that's what the recipe specified) and found it very difficult to get them to mix into the chocolate to become "super smooth" as the recipe says. I ended up using my little frother to eliminate the gelatinous whites in the chocolate mix. That worked to make it smooth, but seems weird.
 
sshardy February 14, 2024
Delicious and sooooo easy! I am not a baker but decided to try this and am so glad I did….it will be my #1 go to dessert! One question…do you think I could use gluten free flour and if so, which one do you think would work best….thank you for this fabulous recipe !
 
Marsha S. November 8, 2021
I've made a very similar flourless choc cake...but the 5 eggs were separated and the whites were beaten until soft peaks formed and then was folded in to the...I've made that flourless cake 4 times and it comes out so good. I use 72% Trader Joe's belgium chocolate and the cake comes out divine every time. I'm curious to try this recipe and see if there is any noticeable in the taste and/or texture
 
Jenny A. February 14, 2024
Would have helped if you posted after you tried the recipe. This was 2021, guess you didn’t like it.
 
Branewyrms December 30, 2020
I’ve made this cake a dozen times over the years and normally it comes out perfectly, but this time it rose and spread over the edges of the pan (it didn’t leak, just mushroomed a bit). So odd as it’s never happened to me before. Is it possible that I over mixed when adding the eggs? I beat them in by hand using a spatula so I didn’t think I could incorporate that much air into it. I’m sure it will still be sublime when it’s ready to serve.
 
Red C. April 20, 2018
I made this last night and it was fantastic! I did add orange zest and made the whip cream. It was a hit and I will definitely be making this again.
 
nuncaxampanale March 24, 2018
Is there any way to make this cake without flour? What would be an acceptable substitution?
 
ReeceAmy March 24, 2018
I make it without flour. Turns out great! I do find I need to bake it For a tiny bit longer. It’s an amazing cake.
 
violingirl March 24, 2018
we have made this so many times (but never the whipped cream) and never with flour. Somewhere it says to replace that tbsp of flour with cocoa. works perfectly. enjoy
 
jamcook March 27, 2021
I use a tablespoon of almond flour,...perfect
 
Trishington February 14, 2024
I've made a very similar recipe to this using regular and gluten free flour (the America's Test Kitchen GF flour mixture) and it works beautifully both ways. Note that when using the GF flour, I don't add any xanthan gum because there's so little flour required and skipping it makes zero difference to the outcome.
 
linda December 18, 2017
Is the dark chocolate unsweetened?
 
Ayu F. October 26, 2017
Hi, i just want to try to bake it for my cousin birthday. In the instruction said Add the eggs one at time is it means that the egg should be mix into melting chocolate?? And the other one, normally people mix it using spatula or hand mixer??
 
Ayu F. October 26, 2017
Hi, i just want to try to bake it for my cousin birthday. In the instruction said Add the eggs one at time is it means that the egg should be mix into melting chocolate?? And the other one, normally people mix it using spatula or hand mixer??
 
Ayu F. October 26, 2017
Hi, i just want to try to bake it for my cousin birthday. In the instruction said Add the eggs one at time is it means that the egg should be mix into melting chocolate?? And the other one, normally people mix it using spatula or hand mixer??
 
Ayu F. October 26, 2017
Hi, i just want to try to bake it for my cousin birthday. In the instruction said Add the eggs one at time is it means that the egg should be mix into melting chocolate?? And the other one, normally people mix it using spatula or hand mixer??
 
Julieta F. July 18, 2017
Is it normal if it's quite jiggly? The top was dry and cracked but the inside seems underdone...
 
KK February 14, 2017
Saw this recipe as a suggestion and decided to make it for my two teenage sons at the last minute right before dinner for Valentine's Day and it was amazing!! Simple to make yet one of those that my kids call a "restaurant cake." I didn't have any lemons and just made whipped cream flavored with vanilla and it was delicious. I will def be making this one again - ty :)
 
Andy July 16, 2016
Alice Medrich contributed a terrific recipe to the Joy of Cooking. It's foolproof and delicious!
 
TinaB July 16, 2016
I tried this cake yesterday for the second time as I am a big lover of flourless chocolate cakes and a budding-baker who had not yet found a recipe I love enough to make again and again. The recipe is great and very easy to follow. I use the European butter (Plugra) and now used this 73% dark Vietnam origin chocolate https://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/vietnam-origin-extra-dark-chocolate-73-without-soy-lecithin/ the flavor turned out really good this time. I made no changes to the recipe. The cake is very moist and not too sweet and easy chocolate cake! Great that it doesn't require any special ingredients. I served it with just powdered sugar on top.
 
joanie February 8, 2016
Is there any apparent effect to substituting cocoa powder for the flour? And would it be regular or dutch process? Thanks!
 
Donna February 8, 2016
I would contact the Chef on that question....
 
Patricia S. May 31, 2017
I've tried it both ways and both ways work well.
 
Donna January 16, 2016
I normally use some sugar in my whipped cream but this time I stayed true to the chefs recipe. Next time I'm going to add some zest to the cream. I was also wondering about adding some Limonchello....?
 
Arlenebdm January 16, 2016
Do you ever sweeten the cream? I instinctively put a small amount of sugar in whipped cream, but am happy to try it without.
 
Donna January 13, 2016
What to do with left over chocolate bars...made this cake and WOW was
it a hit!
The Lemon Whipped Cream however seemed to be a bit bland, I would add more lemon peel next time.
 
carol S. November 22, 2015
Kenzi,
Could olive oil be used in place of butter?
 
Kenzi W. November 23, 2015
I've never tried it—I may be a little nervous to replace the fat in its entirety because there are so few ingredients in this cake that doing so could really change the flavor. I might try half and half and see how it goes, but again, I've never tried it so can't be sure until I do. If you're serving it to company, I might just play it safe. :)
 
Sarah E. February 14, 2015
Made this cake today for Valentine's Day dessert - fantastic! Will definitely make again. I did not make the Meyer lemon whipped cream so will need to try it another time. Tonight I just served the cake with raspberries and vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!
 
Lisa January 27, 2015
I made this cake today and it is AMAZING. Thank you so much Kenzi Wilbur!
 
AC January 10, 2015
My Italian mother-in-law makes an outstanding chocolate cake that is prepared like this. I asked for her recipe but she doesn't measure her ingredients! So i'm looking for the closest recipe. I know she adds a spoon of flour, but she also adds a touch of 'levito'. That's baking powder in our world. What do you think? Has anyone tried it with a touch of baking powder?
 
Anna December 23, 2014
Can I chill the cream overnight and whip it in the morning?
 
Kenzi W. December 23, 2014
Of course!
 
Anna December 23, 2014
Thanks!!
 
Katherin December 10, 2014
I've made this recipe about a dozen times and it's been wonderful every time. Sometimes I add orange zest if I'm feeling fruiting and it's great.
 
mallory January 26, 2016
How much orange zest do you add?
 
Jannie December 6, 2014
Didn't have enough of the Trader Joe's dark chocolate but remembered that I had a Lindt dark chocolate with SEA SALT bar in my cupboard (for emergencies;) AWESOME!
 
Scribbles November 26, 2014
I'm reading some of these comments and just laughing...who would have thought a chocolate cake recipe could insight such deep feelings!

BTW, I'm making this for one of our Thanksgiving desserts...
 
Cameron September 17, 2014
hello - any advice on how best to store if letting the cake sit for a day? also best to remove from cake pan once cool and let sit on a cake plate overnight, covered or uncovered? thanks!
 
Kimberly September 1, 2014
I forgot to put in the flower. I hope it's still as delicious as I had hoped! I like to multitask while cooking and was making too many things at once. Have people had success with out any flower? I know it was in the recipe for a reason but still.... What does the flower give to this cake?
 
User_1501 November 16, 2014
Could you update on how your cake turned out without the flour? Reading your comment made me laugh. I'm really curious as to what dessert you ended up creating!
 
Ami August 22, 2014
I made this cake a few times, and really like it. But I kept thinking that something was missing. Maybe that's where the lemon whipped cream would come in, but I have friends who are allergic to dairy. So I added orange zest into the cake, and that did that trick! Now this cake got the umph!
 
anka December 31, 2014
You can use coconut cream. Leave in the frig over night and next day beat like dairy cream
 
ReeceAmy July 13, 2014
Kenzi - this cake is SOOOOO good! I've made it so many times now that I think I can do it in my sleep. It's become the most requested dessert in our household. Have been using Scharfenberger's semi-sweet chocolate (62%) and salted butter. Thanks!!!
 
Kenzi W. July 14, 2014
So happy to hear this! :)
 
Bret March 13, 2014
Made this last night. AWESOME! The top is crunch and then, just underneath, is almost custard like but not quite. Great combination of textures. I botched the whipping cream - must have had it on the heat too long because when I started to whip it, it never developed into soft peaks (just looked curdled). Too bad because it smelled great. Maybe I'll take your suggestion and just zest the lemon and skip heating the cream. As for the type of chocolate, I used 60% Ghirardelli dark chocolate and unsalted butter I got on sale and it was still awesome.
 
vitauta February 25, 2014
exactly what i was wondering, emily11. i will be adding a smidge of sea salt. also, does anyone have an opinion about the addition of vanilla? i'm not inclined to use it in this cake without a good reason.
 
Emily11 February 26, 2014
I don't think vanilla would be necessary-the chocolate taste is so rich and pure. I think a light sprinkling of sea salt on the cooled cake might be interesting to try!
 
stephen P. May 3, 2014
try star anise instead its a great combination with chocolate
 
Emily11 February 25, 2014
I made this for Valentine's Day and it was amazing. I used 72% swiss chocolate and Kerrygold Irish butter, both from Trader Joe's. Followed the recipe and baking time exactly and it was perfect! I was wondering before I made it if it should have a pinch of salt--it was great without it, but am wondering if it would have done something to make it even more amazing?
 
megken February 23, 2014
So good, and leftovers froze perfectly to pull out a piece and top with ice cream!
 
Geneie D. February 19, 2014
Just made this cake last night. Had all ingredients .It turned out like it was supposed to but had to cook it 10 to 15 mins more.The cake itself was nothing special. Using high quality and expensive chocolate and European butter didn't lend anything special to mix.The best thing was the lemon topping.Not worth the bother or expense.I suspect using cheap ingredients would be the same. Can't think of any reason to waste chocolate or butter, or eggs for that matter......I used unsalted butter.
 
Gina February 19, 2014
Thank you! :)
 
Veronica S. February 15, 2014
Oh, man...what if I only have salted butter? Am I going to need to go back to the store?
 
Kenzi W. February 15, 2014
I always use unsalted, so I can't say for sure, but please let us know your results with salted butter if you use it!
 
Kenzi W. February 15, 2014
(Also, it looks like others in the comments have had success swapping fats, so you might be just fine.)
 
pab February 15, 2014
Thanks for this recipe! I tried it last night and my husband and I enjoyed it very much... A couple of things could be improved in the recipe: 1 - the instructions regarding the whipped cream... I make homemade whip cream all the time, but I think that it's imperative to tell people that they absolutely must not allow the cream to boil over... As anyone who cooks regularly knows, it is very easy for this to happen very quickly...and this happened to me... I assume that this is why I was not able to get the cream to whip... I think this tip needs to be added to the recipe, since most recipes do not call for heating cream before whipping... If I had known that the cream would be impossible to whip, I would have been much more careful or just thrown it out immediately... In terms of the consistency, the recipe suggests that the mix will be very smooth, but I also had problems getting the sugar to fully melt... This did not seem to make much difference, but I may have over stirred in my attempt to get to very smooth. This would also be a simple improvement to the recipe. Also - I did let my cake cool for a couple of hours, but also was suspicious about the inner consistency... I baked exactly 25 mins per the recipe... Perhaps adding another tablespoon of flour would help? All these kinds of things really need to be included in the recipe, since many of us are making this kind of dessert infrequently and don't have the expertise needed to predict these pitfalls... All this said, once my poor sweet husband hunted down more heavy whipping cream at 9pm last night, I made a traditional whipped cream and we very much enjoyed the cake...
 
Judi February 15, 2014
The recipe explicitly says, twice, not to let the cream boil. Not sure how this could be any more clear.
1. Combine the lemon peels and the cream in a heavy saucepan, and bring to just under a boil.
2. Before it comes to a boil, take the cream off the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.
 
pab February 15, 2014
It's hard to judge just under a boil... this is not a good instruction - especially not for milk/cream etc since anyone who cooks knows just under a boil is a split second...
 
Judi February 15, 2014
The is no other way to describe 'just under a boil' which describes it perfectly and goes for any liquid, not just cream. Have you not cooked before? What would you say?
 
pab February 15, 2014
I'm not going to continue to engage with someone as rude and obnoxious as you... I suspect you're the one with the lack of cooking experience though... How about, "to a simmer"... good luck!
 
Kali B. March 17, 2014
I know you can use almond meal, or skip the flour completely. I've made this basic cake for years, and I generally don't use flour. I've never tried it with coconut flour. Sounds good, though!
 
Penny E. February 14, 2014
I'm curious if almond or coconut flour can be substituted for the regular stuff?
 
Kali B. March 17, 2014
Penny, that above comment was meant for you. I can't seem to delete it.
 
Jackie L. February 14, 2014
The recipe is not well written for those who don't bake often and with chocolate a lot. Thus the problems listed above. It would be good for all recipies to be specific about chocolates.. how come they can do this with butter.. but assume we can figure this otu with chocolate when there are dozens of types of chocolate and on a.. two types of butter.... :/
 
Kenzi W. February 14, 2014
Thanks for your thoughts! I've said a few times in the comments here that I use 70 or 80% good-quality dark chocolate. So long as you have that, brand shouldn't matter much!
 
Rochelle B. February 14, 2014
Resources »
Free meditations from Mindfulness
Podcasts from Oxford University
Recommended Books
Recommended CDs/DVDs
Free meditations from Mindfulness
http://franticworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Chocolate-Meditation-from-book-Mindfulness-Finding-Peace-in-a-Frantic-World.mp3The Chocolate Meditation
Connecting with your senses is one of the core benefits of Mindfulness meditation. Many traditions use nuts or fruit as the focus for a meditation on the senses of taste, smell and touch. But you can use any food at all so we developed a meditation based on chocolate. Why not do it now by clicking on the link (photo or headline)? Breathe in, breathe out ; stop fighting and enjoy your chocolate.
 
Rochelle B. February 14, 2014
Hey Guys - It's Valentine's Day - I think we'd all benefit from doing " The Chocolate Meditation " - it really works :-) After I have my first Nespresso of the morning topped with" Navitas"cacao powder ( an excellent raw cocoa and supposed Mayan Superfood that I get on my Amazon "Subscribe and Save', ) I will find the link and post it before we start " The Chocolate Wars of 2014 " !
 
Nicole S. February 13, 2014
I just made this cake, and I'm not sure if I did something wrong, but it didn't turn out correctly. The inside is not jiggly, but tastes way too moist in an egg-y kind of way. Not the way that other flourless cakes I've tried taste like. I followed the recipe exactly and the only change is that I had to put it in a 9-inch square pan since I didn't have a round one. But even after cooking it an 15 minutes, it still tastes the same. Any suggestions?
 
shimon February 13, 2014
How to make flour less chocolate + meyer lemon whipped cream ,for diabetic ?
thank you ,shimon
 
Gina February 14, 2014
I tried to accomplish this by substituting the sugar with Splenda, but it didn't work out very well. You might want to follow the directions exactly. Otherwise, you're likely to unleash all kinds of crazy for not doing so. :)
 
matt February 13, 2014
Is it supposed to be almost like pudding in the middle? I baked the snot out of this thing (45 or so minutes), and it was still like pudding in the middle.
 
Alex P. February 13, 2014
Btw, I just had to comment.. this recipe makes fantastic cookies.. I mean ridiculously good. Decadent, sure. To be eaten in moderation, yes, but oh, good cookie lords, these are divine...! "Cause it's moist with lots of that delicious crust... but you do need to use either round molds or you can make a cookie sheet- the batter does run. If you make the cookie sheet, just pouring the batter onto buttered parchment, half the cooking time at the same oven temp and then check it, baking further in small batches of time until it's just right.
 
Get R. February 13, 2014
Gezzzz Robert it's a freaking dessert! Moderation goes a long way. If you don't like the ingredients, then go eat half of an apple instead, that is if you don't have issues with fruit as well.
 
Mary S. February 12, 2014
Didn't try it yet.
 
vitauta February 12, 2014
this rich, dark, moist, chocolaty cake is not what is out of place here, it is you.
 
Judi February 12, 2014
You're not supposed to eat the whole cake at once! Slice for slice, it's not worse than any other decadent dessert.
 
Robert L. February 12, 2014
The one thing, the most important thing was left out of this recipe, the caloric content of this fat developing mess. The first two ingredients told me that this is one cake That I could not afford to consume. No one has even mentioned anything in the comment section about how many calories you would be consuming. Here's what you should do, get out your caloric measurer and add up the calories of each ingredient. I promise you , you won't make this cake.
 
Kenzi W. February 12, 2014
I appreciate you weighing in, but in general, that is not the way we approach food here. We're all about moderation, of course, but in our viewpoint, to count calories is to strip the joy from food. This cake -- the fat-developing mess it may be -- is about celebrating the beauty of butter and chocolate and sugar together, plain and simple.
 
Skinny B. February 13, 2014
Robert Johnson, Food52 is all about enjoying good food in moderation. Good lawdy, if you count calories, you can't eat anything in created on Food52!! And I agree with Kenzi, it is all about moderation. Sorry you don't get to savor this cake as much as we do, well that's too bad for you!
 
Gina February 12, 2014
I made this cake and it turned out horrible. :( Not sure what I did wrong. I used Splenda instead of sugar and 1 tbsp. of cocoa powder instead of flour. Help!
 
Kenzi W. February 12, 2014
What was horrible about it?
 
Gina February 12, 2014
It was bitter and flavorless.
 
Kenzi W. February 12, 2014
The splenda may have hurt the end result -- but I'm also wondering what kind of butter and chocolate you used. This cake is all about its ingredients, so it's important to use the best quality of each!
 
r D. February 12, 2014
Don't ever substitute the sugar in any baked recipes where the amount of sugar needed is very high in relation to all the other ingredients. If you look at this recipe, almost half the volume of the ingredients is sugar
 
Andy February 12, 2014
You don't have to use the best quality ingredients in order to make this beautiful dessert. Just follow Alice Medrich's recipe in Joy of Cooking.
 
Gina February 12, 2014
Kenzi, I used Plugra and Baker's unsweetened chocolate. I also used Nestle Toll House cocoa powder.
 
r D. February 12, 2014
So you basically did not follow the recipe. When it comes to baking, you cannot just make untested substitutions or adjust the recipe. In this case, it was very specific about using "best quality dark chocolate" and you used bakers chocolate. Think for a moment, if the one tbsp of flour (which you omitted) was not necessary, don't you think you it would have been completely eliminated to make it a true flourless cake? What you baked is a cake of your own recipe so it's not fair to say that this recipe is not good.
 
Gina February 12, 2014
God! Calm down ... it's just a cake and I did not say the recipe wasn't good. I said what I made wasn't good. Get over yourself.
 
r D. February 12, 2014
Here is what you said ,"I made this cake and it turned out horrible. :( Not sure what I did wrong. I used Splenda instead of sugar and 1 tbsp. of cocoa powder instead of flour. Help!"

"I made this cake and it turned out horrible" No honey, you made your own cake. Calm down beotch!
 
jessica H. February 9, 2014
Oh yes the Amaretti cookies....love them, and the red 7 orange tin they come in.... and what a good idea to try to incorporate them into this lovely recipe as a variation. I don't have a recipe for you, but I do know that in Italy they make a variation on their light Panetone cakes in a chocolate presentation; and that may be what you had. let us all know if you find that this was the case. Happy chocolating!
 
Nancy M. February 9, 2014
Years ago, I found a recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that was similar to the recipe above. However it contained crushed amaretti cookies from Italy, --you may have seen them--the best come in red/orange tins or boxes. Sometimes they seem to arrive fresher than other times! However, the recipe was lost and never found. Anyone have any idea of a similar recipe. The cake was quite flat, like the one above, and so delicious. It could not have used extra sugar, as the amaretties have sugar in them, and I wonder if it had butter in it or not.
Many thanks!
 
LeBec F. February 16, 2014
how ironic; i actuakky have that recipe right here. Chocolate Amaretti Torte from Dorie Greenspan's book "Sweet Times!"
 
vitauta February 8, 2014
i used guittard semisweet chocolate chips with excellent results.
 
PssP February 8, 2014
Can you suggest a "good dark chocolate", Please? Should it be a bar? what percentage? I live in NJ. Also, can you please guide where i can find dutch=processed choco pdr.? Help, PLEASE!
 
Alex P. February 8, 2014
Hi, You can get great quality dutch processed org. cocoa powder through the Frontier brand. They have it at Amazon. It's delicious!! and I have found it in bulk at my local health food store. So if you just need enough for one recipe... Great dark chocolate brands- Theo brand, Valhrona (sp?), Scharffen Berger. I like Guittard too but since I live in San Francisco, my favorite and most affordable, has to be Ghiradelli semi-sweet chips- super yummy!
 
Skinny B. February 9, 2014
PssP, I use Trader Joe's 2lb bar 72% dark chocolate (I think it is only $5.99). Basically you only need a little shy of half of the bar. It works just as wonderfully as the original recipe. And for those wondering if you can use just regular non-salted butter, the answer is yes because that's what I used on my first trial and the cake was a hit!
 
Alex P. February 13, 2014
Hey Skinny bitches, thanks for the rec. of Trader Joe's chocolate, great good to know that works! I also used regular, unsalted butter - couldn't find the Plugra- and got the same result too- delicious! I have made this twice now and even though it may seem crazy decadent, this recipe makes AMAZING cookies.. just fyi in case anyone is interested :)
 
Skinny B. February 13, 2014
:D
 
Alex P. February 7, 2014
Has anyone tried to make these as cookies.. yet? :)
 
Patricia S. February 7, 2014
I'm not sure if I have the right consistency. The outside is hard/crusty/firm but the inside is very very moist. It keeps it's shape when cut, but it just seems too moist. Baked for 25 min. at 375.
 
Kenzi W. February 8, 2014
Actually, that sounds right! It should hold its shape when cut, but the inside should be moist beyond belief.
 
Patricia S. February 8, 2014
Well sure enough, once thoroughly cooled (which took a few hours) and refrigerated for awhile, the cake solidified more and tasted great. Thanks for a fantastic recipe.
 
jessica H. February 6, 2014
can't wait to try this one; it sounds marvelous.
 
Geneie D. February 6, 2014
what is European style butter
 
Kenzi W. February 8, 2014
Butter with a higher percentage of butterfat. Look for Plugra!
 
Loreta M. February 6, 2014
Sounds Good I well try it to Day.
 
Skinny B. February 5, 2014
I made this for my friend's birthday party, it was incredible!
 
vitauta February 3, 2014
i had to put my cake back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes, using a 9" round cake pan. the only thing i did different was to sub 1/2 duck fat for the butter. this is the most pure chocolate dessert i've ever made. its texture is rather like that of a moist AND crusty brownie. the flavor is marvelous, rich and deeply chocolate....
 
Jill February 3, 2014
I have tried this recipe twice and I think i'm doing something wrong. The sugar never fully dissolves into the mix (even when I keep it on the heat longer and let it sit to cool longer as well). I'm wondering if this is causing the cake to take longer to also bake as it isn't done in 25 minutes but at the same time way over done (on the edges if I wait double that time for the center to be done). Any advice?
 
Kenzi W. February 4, 2014
That shouldn't be making the cake take longer to bake, no. And it's ok to have a few granules of sugar still in the batter -- they'll finish melting in the oven. What kind of pan are you using? The uneven cooking may be caused by the pan. And you're baking at 375, right? It might be worth taking your oven's temperature to make sure all is well on that front too!
 
Julie S. February 3, 2014
This was divine and I loved the fact that it needed so few ingredients. Will definitely be making this again.
 
violingirl January 31, 2014
From 3 to 65 were likings their plates! And without the cream. A delish GF dessert and so easy. Thanks.
(I used the cocoa)
 
aa January 31, 2014
How would you freeze this cake? And defrost it? I'm thinking to freeze it in wedges so I can have a slice whenever needed :-)
 
Kenzi W. January 31, 2014
That is extremely smart. I usually do the whole thing: once it's completely cool, very carefully wrap once in plastic wrap, and then again in foil. I like to keep mine extra protected, but I'm sure just one secure layer of saran wrap would work equally well.
 
Bella G. February 8, 2014
Scientists are warning that plastic wraps do transfer chemicals into our foods. They are suggesting we put a layer of waxed paper between the plastic wrap and the food.
 
somebunnyslove January 31, 2014
Hi Kenzi,

I keep forgetting to post the link on what I did with your wonderful recipe. As I said before, it was a HUGE hit with the bacon fat. Instead of the Meyer Lemon cream though, I used cajeta. Thank you for a wonderful "goto" recipe!
http://www.somebunnyslove.com/recipes-and-patterns-to-try/smoky-chocolate-souffle/
 
Kenzi W. January 31, 2014
Good to know! Thanks for the update, somebunnyslove.
 
Alex P. January 30, 2014
I made this last night.. it is DELICIOUS!! Thank you :)
 
Lisa January 30, 2014
I have 85% dark chocolate...will this be too bitter?
 
Kenzi W. January 30, 2014
It won't! I've used 85% before and it worked beautifully.
 
Lisa January 30, 2014
Thanks for the quick reply! Now I can start baking.
 
wildwildwest January 28, 2014
I've gone through 3 pints of whipped cream trying to make this Meyer Lemon Whipped Cream; will not whip. Tried all of the "secrets": everything very cold: beaters, bowl, heavy cream (NOT ultra pasteurized!) Help!
 
Kenzi W. January 29, 2014
Are you straining out the peels? Did the cream accidentally come to a boil? You might also try calling in for back-up and whipping the cream with a food processor or electric mixer. And don't forget you can grate fresh peel into cold cream for a similar effect!
 
Kenzi W. January 29, 2014
I forgot to add that you can also cold-steep the peels in the cream to be safe, too. The trick is to very gently heat the cream, and then make sure it's very, very cold (chilling overnight is ideal) before you try whipping.
 
wildwildwest February 8, 2014
The first time the cream may have gotten a little too hot. That's why I tried it a second time, and sort of steeped the peels in warm cream. Then refrigerated it until it was very cold... :{ Thanks for your help. (Then I tried to just whipping plain cream; it just wasn't my day to whip!)
 
Bella G. February 8, 2014
I would suggest you heat the cream first and then add the lemon peels and stir for a bit. The heat will still work on the lemons while it's setting to cool.
 
anaevas January 28, 2014
So easy and so delicious! I made this during the weekend and everyone who tried it loved it. I added a teaspoon of vanilla essence after incorporated the eggs, but besides that, didn't change a thing. Thank you for this recipe!
 
German January 28, 2014
I have known this recipe for years. I can assure you there is no need for the flour. But if you really want a dry ingredient, you can always use cocoa powder instead.
 
Kenzi W. January 28, 2014
Yes -- that's what Molly recommends in order to make this gluten-free!
 
karin January 28, 2014
Great tasting cake but I need way more time than 25 mins in the oven. Pulled the cake out and then had to put it back in for atleast another 20 mins. Bakers beware.
 
Kenzi W. January 28, 2014
That's so strange! Mine is almost always done at 25 minutes, on the dot. Were you baking it at 375? What size pan were you using?
 
vitauta January 27, 2014
if your european style butter has a total 12 grams of fat per serving, does it have enough butterfat? has anyone made this cake using duck fat as part of the butter requirement/ please, please share your results here. i want so much to do that, but i'm chicken....
 
wildwildwest January 28, 2014
The reality is that European butter differs from standard U.S. butter only in that more of the water was squeezed out of it during production (leaving a higher % of butterfat) so that it will work more predictably in recipes, especially for baked goods.
While there are many kinds of butter in/from Europe, "European style" butter means butter with a higher fat (lower water) content. American butter is 80 percent fat (I believe that's the legal standard), butters like Plugra and other "European" butters are about 82 percent fat.
 
ccsinclair January 26, 2014
I have my scale out already for the 7 ounces of chocolate and butter. How many ounces is 1 and 1/3 cups of sugar? And why don't good bakers include those weights to help the rest of us improve?
 
Andy January 26, 2014
Alice Medrich provided a delicious flourless chocolate torte recipe to Joy of Cooking. There's no flour and the torte doesn't buckle or crack.
 
Candace January 26, 2014
Has anyone used coconut sugar as a substitute? lower on glycemic index
 
Dominic T. January 26, 2014
Can't seem to share this recipe on FB. Keep clicking on link but nothing happens. Any idea why?
 
Carolina A. January 26, 2014
Is this dark chocolate for cooking or just any dark chocolate?
 
Kenzi W. January 26, 2014
Use something you'd eat, alone, for dessert! Most recently I've used 70 and 80% dark.
 
wildwildwest January 26, 2014
Any thoughts from anyone on using Splenda instead of sugar?
 
Olivia January 26, 2014
Any thoughts on using coconut oil instead of butter?
 
Kenzi W. January 26, 2014
I'm curious to know what other fellow bakers think! I don't have much experience with coconut oil in baked goods, but if you try it I'd love to know how it turns out.
 
Ebeth January 26, 2014
this is just like the chocolate decadence cake created by narsai david in the 1980s...you can use a GF baking mix for the tablespoon of flour rather than using cocoa powder. the cake really depends on the quality of chocolate used. best served the day it is made when it is still at room temperature. when refrigerated, it sets up like a truffle. we made hundreds of these at the restaurant I worked at and it was called Chocolate Truffle Cake. It is highly addictive.
 
Lisa M. January 26, 2014
Could you use flax or cornstarch eggs?
 
Kenzi W. January 26, 2014
I've never done that, so I can't say for sure -- there is a substantial amount of egg here, however, and that's what gives the cake some of its richness, so I'd be a bit wary of subbing.
 
Chickenfog January 26, 2014
Yeah, it'a deja vu all over again. Please don't tell me big hair and shoulder pads are coming back as well.
 
Lisa M. January 26, 2014
Kenzi, the number of eggs had me concerned. I'm new to swapping out eggs, so I ask those more knowledgeable when I can. Thanks!
 
somebunnyslove January 26, 2014
Hi Kenzie,
Since you never responded to my question, I went ahead and used 4 oz of bacon fat and 3 oz of the butter. The result was amazingly fabulous! Blog post to come...
 
Judi January 26, 2014
This option sounds fantastic. How do you think the taste varied from just using butter? Smokier? Salty-ish? Could it possibly be richer? Thanks
 
Kenzi W. January 26, 2014
So sorry about that! I'd never tried that before, but my general belief is that you should play to make any recipe your own -- so glad you did!
 
violingirl January 26, 2014
How do you measure butter in ounces?
Is there an equivalent in tbsp?
Thanks!
 
Kenzi W. January 26, 2014
I use a scale! Standard butters typically have ounce measurements listed on them, but I'd still recommend investing the $15 in an all-purpose kitchen scale. They're so handy!
 
Judi January 26, 2014
"Gets better with age"...like, optimally, how many days in the fridge? Or? Thanks
 
Kenzi W. January 26, 2014
I've kept this cake for up to 4 days in my fridge, and though mine have never lasted longer, I'm sure you could keep it for at least five. Or freeze it after you've cooled it completely. In her original blog post, Molly recommends freezing to improve the taste and overall texture, but it's certainly not necessary.
 
rebecca January 26, 2014
Would love to know if this could be made with a gluten free flour? Please recommend what you might substitute it with.
 
Kenzi W. January 26, 2014
Hi rebecca -- Molly, who wrote the original recipe, recommends using cocoa powder instead of flour to make this cake gluten-free.
 
Rochelle B. January 26, 2014
Beautiful cake Kenzi ! I think I'll use 1 Tbs. of ground almonds as a substitute for the flour and bake it now to freeze for Passover !
Is there any reason not to melt the butter and chocolate (slowly and carefully ) in the microwave? I find it's just so much easier .
 
Kenzi W. January 26, 2014
There isn't! Please do that if it's what you prefer. And for a flour substitute, Molly Wizenberg has also used cocoa powder with success.
 
BayouToo January 24, 2014
I made it yesterday and it was absolutely delicious. Found Plugra butter and used 70% dark chocolate. However, it was not baked enough at 15 minutes. Probably had to add about 10 more.
 
Kenzi W. January 24, 2014
So sorry -- that was intended to say 25. You got it just right! Thanks for letting us know how yours turned out.
 
AnneHD January 24, 2014
Do you remove the peels after steeping (by passing the cream through a sieve, for instance) -- or do you just leave them in the cream?
 
Kenzi W. January 24, 2014
Yes you strain them out! I've added to the recipe to reflect that. Thanks!
 
AnneHD January 24, 2014
Thank you for the quick update!
 
Theresa H. January 23, 2014
We love dark chocolate and European butter. Thanks for the recipe!
 
Kreativa1705 January 23, 2014
When you said Add the eggs, you meant in the chocolate and butter or in another pan and then mix all together?
 
Kenzi W. January 23, 2014
Into the chocolate/butter/sugar mixture! I melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a pan of steaming water (a hacked double boiler), and then everything else gets added to that same bowl.
 
Kreativa1705 January 23, 2014
Thank you, i'll get right on it!
 
somebunnyslove January 22, 2014
My crazy idea: Would it be possible to substitute lard or even bacon or duck fat?
 
Frank R. January 22, 2014
Will this works with Stevia or Splenda, rather than sugar?
 
Kenzi W. January 22, 2014
I've never tried it -- but I'd recommend going with the real stuff.
 
Mary E. January 25, 2014
I have substituted Splenda for my husband who is diabetic-- maybe not as stupefyingly wonderful as the original-- but still excellent, and much appreciated by those who cannot have sugar.
 
Andie January 22, 2014
Do we need to separate yolks from egg whites and beat whites separately? I thought that was key in flour less cakes.
 
Kenzi W. January 22, 2014
No you don't!
 
BayouToo January 22, 2014
Thanks, looks delicious. If European butter not available at my store, suggestion for a commonly available one?
 
Kenzi W. January 22, 2014
Just look for something with at least 82% butterfat.
 
BayouToo January 22, 2014
If cake is being "aged" for a few days, should it be refrigerated?
 
Kenzi W. January 22, 2014
Yes! Stash it in the fridge because of all of the eggs.
 
Lilismom January 22, 2014
Semi-sweet, bitter-sweet? What kind of dark chocolate?
 
Kenzi W. January 22, 2014
I've made this with 70 and 80% dark chocolate, and both work wonderfully.
 
Sally January 22, 2014
This sounds amazing. Will be trying it out soon. One question though. What is "European-style" butter? What's the difference between that and non-European-style? :)
 
Kenzi W. January 22, 2014
That just means it has a high butterfat content! But honestly, this will still be good if you can't find it.
 
Sally January 22, 2014
Oh excellent. Thank you!
 
tail.feathers January 22, 2014
Look for Plugra butter.
 
Kenzi W. January 22, 2014
It's really the best.
 
Sally January 22, 2014
I will do, thanks!